diligence, and establishing a responsible framework will be critical to position itself as a credible and competitive player in global mineral supply chains. PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR INDIA Environmental safeguards and community rights have been upheld by regulators in India through various legislative enactments. However, weak and uneven implementation of these norms, limited state capacity, and minimal obligations on private entities have led to growing conflicts between communities and mining companies. In the Sterlite Copper case, the Environmental Clearance (EC) was issued in 1995 to Sterlite Copper without a public hearing or a cumulative impact assessment, which invalidated subsequent consent granted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). Operations commenced in 1997 despite the invalid clearances obtained, despite repeated violations, including two gas leaks (1997, 2013), hazardous emissions, and copper slag dumping across 11 sites (Vedanta Limited v The State of Tamil Nadu & Ors, 2024). It took mass protests and the death of 13 demonstrators, protesting unsanctioned plant capacity expansion, for the Madras High Court and TNPCB to order the permanent closure of the Sterlite copper plant. Improper implementation of existing policies and the lack of accountability by both private and government bodies have resulted in increased harm to the environment and communities. India requires a framework that imposes obligations on both regulators and industry to implement and uphold the principles of responsible value chains. The proposed framework is based on five pillars that address the key challenges faced by stakeholders across India's mineral value chains (Figure 1). These pillars draw on the 10 principles of ICMM, which have been globally recognised for their role in initiating an industry-driven effort towards responsible mining (ICMM, 2026). Each pillar has three focus areas identified through interviews with government officials, site visits to mines and processing plants, and focused group discussions with communities. These focus areas may change over time as stakeholders' concerns shift due to developments in domestic policies, increased mineral demand, and global supply chain shocks. 148
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